Two Los Angeles Unified high school students were reportedly found carrying guns in their backpacks on campuses this week, bringing the number of firearms found at L.A. schools to four since the start of the academic year on Aug. 12.
In addition, a shooting last week left a 17-year-old boy wounded just outside Granada Hills Charter High School, a public school that is within L.A. Unified territory, but is not run by the district. During the first week of school, there was a stabbing of a student at another high school campus. The youths who were shot and stabbed required hospitalization but their wounds were not life-threatening, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The violence and gun seizures come amid ongoing debate about campus safety — including the role of school police, who were barred from L.A. campuses following student and community activism after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in 2020. A much-reduced L.A. school police force currently patrols near schools and enters a campus only to deal with an emergency, conduct an investigation or make an arrest.
“The safety and security of our students and campuses is our top priority,” Chief of School Operations Andres Chait said in a statement to The Times. “Los Angeles Unified has made tremendous strides to promote a culture of situational awareness and safety, and to partner with Los Angeles School Police, local law enforcement and municipalities to ensure coverage and expediency. We continuously review and refine our safety protocols.”
Officials used the recent incidents to call attention to the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting app LASAR, which they say “enables the Los Angeles school community to anonymously report instances of suspicious activity, mental health incidents, drug consumption, drug trafficking, vandalism and other safety issues.”
The most recent incident involving a gun happened Tuesday, when an administrator reportedly found an unloaded semiautomatic pistol in a ninth-grade boy’s backpack at John C. Fremont High School in South Los Angeles.
The gun was found following a tip from a neighborhood resident who said they saw the student walking to school holding the weapon and then putting it into his backpack, according to reports from district sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the incident.
Administrators located the student on campus and found the gun while searching his backpack, then called school police to make the arrest, the sources said.
District officials sent out a notice about the incident to the school community Tuesday afternoon.
“Today, as a result of a community member alerting staff of a safety concern, administrative staff recovered an unloaded handgun from a student,” said the message from Fremont High Principal Blanca Esquivel. “The Los Angeles School Police Department took the student into custody. The matter will be investigated further by the school police.”
“The school day operated on time and without distraction to instruction,” the principal added. “In an abundance of caution, school police will provide extra patrols and on-campus support for the rest of the week.”
The day before, at George Washington Preparatory High School, also in South L.A., administrators allegedly found an unloaded semiautomatic pistol and a 21-round clip during a search. The gun, as outfitted, is illegal for anyone to carry in California, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
Campus officials called school police, and the student, 18, and was arrested as an adult on a gun charge, said district sources who also were not authorized to speak about the incident. The student reportedly told officers he needed the gun for protection from physical harm on his way to and from campus.
A school message to families confirmed key details.
“Today, a concerning social media post led to an administrative search of a student in possession of an unloaded firearm and separate ammunition,” Principal Tony Booker said. “The Los Angeles School Police Department arrested the student.”
“The matter will be investigated further by school police and the Los Angeles Police Department,” Booker added. “For the rest of the week, school police will provide on-campus and community support.”
Last school year, a Washington Prep student was fatally shot a few blocks from campus. The alleged shooter in the April 15 incident was apparently carrying the gun for protection and pulled it out after being jumped by a group of fellow students, according to law enforcement sources.
Less than 10 seconds after the fight began, Elijah McGinnis III, 15, collapsed with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. The student accused of firing the gun is a minor, and the case is being handled by the juvenile court system.
This fall, three days after the start of school, a student was stabbed at Benjamin Franklin Senior High in Highland Park during a preseason football scrimmage. The student, who was from another school, did not suffer life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made, according to the LAPD.
The next day at Sylmar High School, officers seized a loaded handgun that was apparently dropped during a fight.
Then on Aug. 19 , a student was allegedly found with an unloaded handgun at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda.
Last Thursday’s shooting at Granada Hills Charter School occurred adjacent to campus around 9:15 p.m. among a group of students who had gathered for a football game with LAUSD’s Franklin High.
A student was shot in the foot, according to sources close to the investigation who were not authorized to comment.
Granada Hills is an independent charter school — not run by L.A. Unified — but the campus property is owned by the district. The school contracts with the L.A. School Police Department to provide an officer during the school day, according to sources within the department.
Granada Hills school officials did not respond to a request for comment.
However, the morning after the shooting, Franklin High‘s principal sent a message to the Franklin school community reporting “an off-campus incident that occurred during yesterday’s football game against Granada Hills Charter.”
“An individual was the victim of a gunshot wound at an off-campus location during the game,” the statement said. “The Los Angeles School Police Department assisted and supported on-campus to ensure that the game continued safely. No Franklin High School students were involved in the off-campus incident.”